Bahamas Express setbacks hurt seaport revenues

June 13, 2012|By Doreen Hemlock, Staff writer

Startup problems with the Bahamas Express ferry will mean a bit less money for Fort Lauderdale's seaport this year.

Port Everglades had expected to collect about $500,000 from the company, but the ferry is carrying fewer passengers than projected and likely will pay about $100,000 less than forecast, or roughly $400,000 for the year, port officials said.

Passenger tallies are off, partly because of delays in dredging the channel to enter Bimini in the Bahamas, company executives have said. The dredging in Bimini may be completed by fall.

Freeport on Grand Bahama Island also is proving a limited draw. The Discovery Cruise that formerly served the Fort Lauderdale-Freeport route attracted many South Floridians who wanted to eat, drink, party and gamble on a slow-moving cruise. But the high-speed ferry does not offer a casino or buffets and depends more on Freeport's lure as a destination, said ferry manager Pilar Lecha.

Launched Dec. 16, the Bahamas Express was running about 70 percent full during the peak winter season. But demand slipped when winter ended, prompting cuts in service last month.

The ferry now runs daily except Wednesdays, carrying up to 463 passengers and cargo shipments.

Round-trip fares for a day-trip start at $142, less than half the cost of a flight. But tourists have complained that a nearly 3-hour ride each way, plus wait times before boarding and immigration processing on arrival, take too long to make day-trips fun. A shorter ride to Bimini should attract more day-trippers, said Lecha.

Port Everglades reported $139.2 million in operating revenue in the year ended Sept. 30, up 11.6 percent from the previous year. It collects rent, fees and other charges on cruise, cargo and petroleum activities.